The president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars has said that the steel wall being built by the Egyptian authorities along their border with the Gaza Strip is prohibited according to Islam. Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi added, â€œEgypt, which fought four wars for Palestine, should not carry out an act that is 100 percent against the Palestinians.â€

In a press statement, Dr. Al-Qaradawi said, â€œThe construction of the steel wall, which Egypt is building along its border with Gaza, is prohibited by the Shariâ€™a, because the intention behind it is to block all exit and entry points for Gazans, to intensify the siege around them, to humiliate them, to starve them and put pressure on them to kneel in surrender to Israel.â€ He added that the people of Gaza had to resort to tunnels in order to find an alternative to the border crossing at Rafah, which is closed on most days, even for humanitarian relief convoys. â€œIt isâ€, he said, â€œas if Egypt is telling the Palestinians, â€˜Die, and let Israel liveâ€™.â€

Shaikh Al-Qaradawi expressed his shock at hearing the news about the wall: â€œI denied it at first and thought that the story was intended to drive a wedge between Egypt and the Palestinian people. Even Egypt denied the news.â€ When the story was confirmed as true he was stunned.

In response to statements by Egyptian officials that the wall is a matter of national sovereignty, Sh. Al-Qaradawi agreed that Egypt is free to preserve its sovereignty over its borders, â€œbut it is not free to help in the killing of its Palestinian brothers and neighbours.â€

He stated that it is not permissible, no matter which way it is looked at, for Egypt to construct such a wall. â€œIt is not permissible from an Arab perspective, because of Arab Nationalism; it is not permissible from an Islamic perspective, because of Islamic brotherhood; and it is not permissible from a humanitarian perspective, because of human brotherhood. Egypt must open the Rafah border crossing for Gazans, because it is the only lung for them to breathe through. It is a religious and legal duty for Egypt not to suffocate the people of Gaza and collaborate in their murder.â€

While calling on all the friends of Egypt to pressurise it to back down over this unjustifiable criminal act, Sh. Al-Qaradawi also called upon the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to intervene â€œto stop this tragedyâ€. Furthermore, he warned Egyptian officials â€œto fear God when it comes to their oppressed brothers and sisters,â€ and not do something that is â€œ100 percent against the Palestinians, and 100 percent in the interests of Israelâ€.